Taking a bite
by mab in chains
Summary: The Doctor and Martha find themselves in New York, where they confront his greatest fear and discover something new about their friendship I cannot stand Daleks in Manhattan so I thought I'd dream up my own story


"Doc-tor"

"Doc-tor"

All at once his heart (one or both, he couldn't be sure) stopped.

_They were gone; we sent them into the void_

He turned to see the shadow of his nightmares looming under the archway of the theatre.

_Rose falling, Rose screaming, Rose gone... his Rose._

The Dalek slowly moved toward him, and the roaring in his brain increased tenfold. "Martha, get behind me." The Doctor was quiet in his request, but the intensity in his voice alerted Martha to the magnitude of the danger ahead. The Doctor's thoughts were racing, he didn't want to take his eyes off of the terror that seemingly jumped out of his memory, but he had to make sure his companion was safe. His own life no longer mattered; his fear now was for her.

_I won't lose another one… why… what was it for… why did I have to lose her if it didn't make a difference…_

_Three Hours Earlier_

The Tardis came to a jolting stop and the Doctor spun around and grinned manically at Martha.

"Martha, have you ever seen the Statue of Liberty? Sitting in the water in all her green glory? I don't know if I care for her outfit so much, it's a bit dated, but I suppose you'll have that. Personally I think she needs a new jumper, or maybe some new footwear. Sandals are so 20th century. I'm no fashionista myself, although I have been known to be quite a snazzy dresser... I was a bit of a dandy once. Went though a bit of a faze, really. It was after about seven years of never taking off this scarf, but you can't blame me for never taking it off; I did love it so. It went well with everything. We won't talk about the rainbow colored jacket I fancied for a bit, we all have our dark fashion days, don't we. Now then… have you ever been to the United States Martha? More specifically, have you ever been to New York? Not the New, New York that we just came from, but plain old New York?"

Martha smiled back at him; "No, but I have a strong suspicion that I'm going to, aren't I?" The Doctor all but danced toward her and grabbed her arm. "Martha, outside of those doors is the New York that stories are made from. A New York that was still fresh and people still dreamed. We just came from a New York where everyone had lost hope and they followed the rules; this is a New York where hope is in abundance and rules are made to be broken."

At his words Martha found herself getting excited. The United States would not be the first place on her list of amazing places to visit in a time machine with the last of the Timelords, but his enthusiasm was infectious. "Ok Mr. Smith, lead on. I should ask though, um, when are we?" The Doctor gave her an impish grin. "You're catching on aren't you? We Ms. Jones, have arrived in an era simply known as 'The Roaring Twenties'. The Charleston is all the rage. Women love fringe and men love them in it. Prohibition has forced desperate men to indulge in 'bathtub gin.' I never cared for drinking much myself, but it does amuse me what lengths you humans will go to for a simple pint. Mobsters, Jazz, spiritualism… it's all here. Exciting stuff isn't it?"

As he was babbling, the Doctor led Martha out of the TARDIS. He took a deep breath and turned Martha around. "Ms. Jones, meet Lady Liberty" Martha's words were caught in her throat. She had seen pictures of the Statue of Liberty, but the reality of the statue itself was slightly overwhelming.

"It's beautiful, more so than I would have thought." She looked up and saw that the Doctor was staring at the statue with something akin to pain in his eyes. A moment later he looked at her and the pain seemed to be an illusion. "It is beautiful isn't it," he said. "It's a symbol of hope and of new beginnings for so many people." With his words Martha felt a flutter of anticipation rising in her chest. "New beginnings, eh Doctor?" With that the Doctor dropped her hand, which she hadn't realized he was holding and stepped away from her. She could feel his withdrawal, not simply physically, but emotionally. With that withdrawal she found herself becoming spiteful, despite her gratitude at being allowed to share this moment with him.

_Are you thinking of her again, your lost Rose? _Martha stared at the Doctor, knowing that anything she would say at this moment could push him further into his solitary pain. After a moment the Doctor seemed to give himself a bit of a mental shake and nudged Martha in the shoulder. "C'mon then Martha – we've let's go sink our teeth into the Big Apple, shall we?" He turned and walked away from her into the city before them. With a last look at the lady before her Martha turned to follow him in silence.


End file.
